Britain BC

Synopsis

An authoritative and radical rethinking of the history of Ancient Britain and Ancient Ireland, based on remarkable new archaeological finds. British history is traditionally regarded as having started with the Roman Conquest. But this is to ignore half a million years of prehistory that still exert a profound influence. Here Francis Pryor examines the great ceremonial landscapes of Ancient Britain and Ireland – Stonehenge, Seahenge, Avebury and the Bend of the Boyne – as well as the discarded artefacts of day-to-day life, to create an astonishing portrait of our ancestors. This major re-revaluation of pre-Roman Britain, made possible in part by aerial photography and coastal erosion, reveals a much more sophisticated life in Ancient Britain and Ireland than has previously been supposed.

First Air Date: 2003-01-01

Last Air Date: 2003-01-08

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 2

Created By: Francis Pryor

Seasons

Season 1 (2003)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Episode 1 (2003-01-01)

Part one of two. Archaeologist Francis Pryor travels the length and breadth of Britain to lift the lid on what the nation was like before the Romans invaded. He explores their ancient predecessors' culture and suggests they were more sophisticated than previously believed.
Ep. 2: Episode 2 (2003-01-08)

Francis Pryor concludes his investigation into Celtic Britain, asking why the Romans perceived such a threat from Druids when more critical events were occurring in East Anglia as Boudicca led a bloody revolt. Pryor travels from Stonehenge to Orkney in search of answers, reinterpreting the meaning of stone circles as he explores the invaders' fascination with the ancient druid religion.